The xebec was the Dey’s, with the Dey’s cousin in command, and it was anchoring two cable lengths from Gibraltar’s shore. The An-Nasr had failed...to catch him with brute force; was it now stealth that the Dey employed? With an icy feeling running down his spine, Thomas realised how vulnerable he, and by extension Mirabel, were to an assault or abduction.“That is indeed illuminating, Mr. Ousmane. It would seem that His Highness is indeed most generous.”“Isn’t he? I hope to be able to restore the. ‘Hey, it’s Rachel’s guard dog. What’re you doing here, Coop? What if she needs you?’ This time his teeth ground together, but still he ignored Hunter. ‘Maybe someone’s relieved you of the duty. She is kind of a flirt, you know. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s with some guy right now –‘ Cooper cut him off, too angry to remain silent. ‘Shut the hell up, Gallagher. You don’t know anything about Rachel.’ The other man’s green eyes glinted with trouble. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, mate. I know. It was clear he could not defeat Sardinia’s army alone. He waited impatiently as his Queen readied for the royal reception just beginning downstairs. Protocol honored them to be the last to arrive, even for this one, honoring someone else. The King had appealed to the neighboring kingdom of San Bonito to form an alliance against Sardinia. High in the mountains, San Bonito considered itself invincible. The King’s emissaries had tried to convince the King of San Bonito of the self-evident truth. He hardly said a word to me and avoided eye contact. Same thing with Randy on Tuesday. They both said that Leah had other chores for them to do and Marc was to come on Wednesday and Friday and Randy on Thursday and Saturday. I recognized that each was getting the traditional three days of instruction. It surprised me a little that they didnt talk to each other about their chores with Leah. Each told me privately that Leah asked them to come back on Sunday after church for their payment for.